Michael F. Bennet
Bio | Michael Bennet is an American lawyer and politician who is currently serving as a Senator from Colorado. He is also a member of the Democratic Party. |
Status and Position | Current US Senator of Colorado |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Colorado |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Presidential Election United States | United States | Yes | Dropped Out | N/A |
Campaign Financing | Bennet believes that there should be more transparency surrounding campaign finance, and would support overturning Citizens United. His campaign is not accepting campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, PACs, or federal lobbyists. |
Voting Rights | Bennet is supportive of efforts to expand voting rights in the United States. He co-sponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act, a reinforcement of the original Voting Rights Act, and has said that if elected, he would seek measures to make same-day voting registration a federal standard and ban political gerrymandering. He has also expressed doubts about voter ID laws. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | Would aim to increase access to healthcare universally. Bennet believes in expanding access to healthcare should be a priority for the federal government. However, instead of embracing Medicare-for-All, as many of his Democratic colleagues have, Bennet would prefer to expand the Affordable Care Act via a plan called Medicare-X. This plan would allow for private insurance to function alongside public insurance. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Supports expanding the ACA. |
| Private Healthcare | For | Does not believe private insurance should be abolished. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Is an advocate for LGBT rights. Bennet is a supporter of LGBT rights, and has both voted for and co-sponsored pieces of anti-discrimination legislation, namely the Equality Act. He also explicitly condemned the use of religious freedom claims to violate LGBT civil rights. |
| Taxes | Against | Supports tax cuts for the middle class. Bennet sponsored the American Family Act, which would cut taxes for middle class families. He also voted to cut taxes for small businesses. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Supports progressive tax rates. Bennet sponsored the American Family Act, which would cut taxes for middle class families. He also voted to cut taxes for small businesses. |
| Abortion | For | Won his senate race in part by challenging his opponent’s abortion stance. Opposes recent anti-abortion laws. Bennet’s support for reproductive rights earned him an endorsement from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2016 and a 100% approval rating from NARAL (the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) in 2018. He strongly opposes government restrictions on abortion access. |
| Gun Control | Nuance | Has voted for some gun control measures, but has said that he opposes restrictions of the 2nd Amendment. Bennet supports gun control, but has not been as vocal in supporting gun control measures as many of the other Democratic candidates. While he is supportive of universal background checks and restrictions on high-capacity magazines, he has also voted against legislation to reinstate a federal assault weapons ban. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | Has not made a public statement. Bennet supports gun control, but has not been as vocal in supporting gun control measures as many of the other Democratic candidates. While he is supportive of universal background checks and restrictions on high-capacity magazines, he has also voted against legislation to reinstate a federal assault weapons ban. |
| Government Interference | For | Has expressed support for forms of government regulation, including environmental. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Believes Planned Parenthood provides essential healthcare services for women. |
| Welfare | For | Has a history of supporting and expanding welfare programs. Bennet is supportive of welfare programs. He has supported expansions of the Child Tax Credit program and the Earned Income Tax Credit program, and was also supportive of a bill that upheld programs to provide breakfasts for low-income students in schools. |
| Welfare | For | Cosponsored a bill to allow for funding of stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Nuance | Has not explicitly stated that he would abolish capital punishment. Has been critical of capital punishment in the United States, but has not released any explicit plans to abolish it. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Has cosponsored legislation to reduce mandatory minimums, but has not committed to abolish them entirely. |
| Military Spending | Against | Critiqued the Trump Administration's move to increase military spending by making cuts elsewhere. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | Supports withdrawing troops from the Middle East. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Advocates for strengthened relationships with allies. Bennet has been critical of the Trump Administration’s approach to foreign policy. If elected, he would immediately recommit to US allies. Bennet was also critical of the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, although it is unclear if he would seek to rejoin. |
| United Nations power | For | Has voiced disagreement with UN Israel Two-State Solution. However, he supports the UN overall. |
| Nationalism | Against | Has criticized Trump's nationalist tactics and said that nationalism does not belong in government. |
| Free Markets | For | Is an advocate for free-trade measures. Bennet has been critical of the Trump Administration’s use of protectionist trade measures, although he has also expressed opposition to free-trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). |
| Brexit | Unknown | Has not been vocal on the issue. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | Has not clearly stated his position on the topic. |
| Government Spending | For | Supports increasing government spending on social programs, but not defense. |
| Charter Schools | For | Has praised Denver's charter school system. |
| Common Core | Unknown | Has not made his position clear. N/A |
| Clean Energy | For | Would prioritize a transition to clean energy if elected. Proposed a plan that would achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and incentivise private-sector investment in green-technology. Believes the US should increase use of sustainable energy sources. Believes the US should increase investments into researching clean energy. |
| Religious Freedom | For | Does not believe that religious freedom includes the right to discriminate. Bennet is a supporter of religious freedom, but does not believe that religious freedom should be used to justify discrimination. He was extremely critical of the Trump Administration’s travel bans for its apparent religious bias, and co-sponsored a bill to repeal the so-called ‘Muslim Ban’. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | Believes there should be separation between church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | For | Supported a bill to study reparations, and has acknowledged the potential need for them. |
| Border Control | Against | Opposes current border wall proposals, although he would support technological security measures. Bennet opposes proposals for a border wall, but would be willing to fund it in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He believes that border security would most effectively be protected by advanced technological measures. He has not embraced calls to abolish ICE. |
| Passenger Profiling | Nuance | Is an advocate for racial equality, but has not been outspoken on this particular issue. |
| DACA | For | Would grant citizenship to DREAMers. |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | Believes that sanctuary cities should be protected. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Bennet supports proposals to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level. |